The Necromancer and the Nymph
by Steffie1
Summary: While looking for a meal for his master to feast upon, Igorth found a beautiful nymph that states that she can grant immortality. But, what's the catch?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone and welcome to my brand-new Count Duckula fan-fic.

Here are some notes for this fan-fic

1) This fan-fic is the prequel to Mein Guilt.

2) This fan-fic is also inspired by the episode Dear Diary. I found it interesting that when Duckula asked why Nanny needed to know how to spell nymph, Nanny replied that she wanted to write a diary about her life; and publish it. That spawned the idea for this fan-fic.

3) Poor Igorth; he is the servant of the ferocious vampire Count Lamian, but he has a friendly and handsome face when he was a teen. People didn't any of his threats seriously...

Characters you recognize (c) Cosgrove Hall Story, Characters you don't recognize (c) to me, Steffie

Enjoy ^_^

The Necromancer and the Nymph prt 1

*Eight-hundred years ago*

Austria, home of the deadly vampire duck Count Lamian. At this very moment, his faithful servant is trying his best to catch the perfect maiden for his Master to feast upon. But, that task had proven to be quite a challenge...

"...Und stay out, you pervert!" the elderly nun hissed like the enraged goose she is as she tossed several pots and cups and the fleeing White-Headed Vulture that couldn't be older than sixteen. After the goose slammed the church's doors shut, the disgruntled teenager dusted himself off as he got to his feet.

"Ugh, that's the fifth person that believed I wanted to kidnap the fair maidens for selfish reasons. But, when I do find the right maiden for my master, they thought that it was a pick-up line when I said my Master would enjoy their company. Do they believe that just because I have a friendly face that I am harmless? I am Igorth, a qualified Necromancer! I am the humble servant of Count Lamian. I am"  
"Do you mind keeping it down? We're trying to have a sermon here!" the elderly goose honked angrily from the other side of the church's door.  
"My most sincere apologies, Ma'am." Igorth apologized. His face became red with embarrassment.

*Much later*

Igorth wandered through the forest, hoping he might have better luck finding a maiden there. After searching high and low for a few hours, Igorth soon discovered that it seems to be a hopeless case.  
"Ugh, why couldn't I find a maiden for the Master? I had promised him that I would do so! Does Lady Luck hate my guts, or some--oof!" Igor fell flat on his face after he had tripped over something. The young fowl cursed under his breath as he got back onto his feet; wondering what had tripped him. His eyes widened when he noticed the figure that lay on the floor.

Lying unconscious on her back was a beautiful and slender hen that wore an outfit that looked like what Greek or Roman noblewomen wore. Her beautiful black hair was adorned with lilies. She also wore golden bracelets and sandals. Igorth couldn't be more disgusted. In his eyes, she was horribly underfed; and she wore flowers in her hair! Does this mean that she didn't take her yearly bath? Igorth decided that despite the fact he had promised Count Lamian a maiden, this underfed and foul hen isn't worth it. He turned his heel to leave, but felt something grab hold of his ankle.

"Wait! Please, don't go! You're the one who've saved me, right?" the hen's voice trembled as she smiled weakly at him.  
"Um..." Igorth wasn't sure what to say. "Thank you so much, dear sir! You have no idea how much this means to me. You see, I am a nymph. Not just any nymph, but a nymph that grants immortality. Those bad men that you've fought wanted to force me to grant them immortality. When I refused, they wanted to kill me instead. I'm so grateful that you've saved me. I owe me my life! How may I ever repay you?"

Igor's eyes lit up the moment he heard that this hen's a nymph that granted immortality. Despite the fact his face was expressionless, he was grinning like the Cheshire Cat inwardly.  
"My dear lady, would you like to come with me"  
"Oh yes, dear sir. I would love to be your wife!" the nymph grinned like the fool she is. Igorth was flabbergasted that she believed that he's asking for her hand in marriage.  
"But Madam"  
"I agree that as soon as you show how much you love me, I shall grant you immortality. That is also the proper way for us to grant mortals immortality."

Igorth couldn't believe how easy immortality would be granted to him. With immortality, he shall gain great knowledge and he would even become more powerful with his spells. He would also be able to spend more time with his Master. All he had to do is to simply pretend to be in love with this stupid hen that blindly trusts anybody.  
"My dear beloved, allow me to carry you to our new home." Igorth offered as he picked her up, cradling her in his arms like a bride. If he had paid attention to her beak, he would've noticed a sly smirk.  
"Thank you, er--. Oh my, what is your name"  
"My name is Igorth"  
"Oh, t'at's nice. My nickname's Emma."

As Igorth carried Emma back to Count Lamian's castle, I fear I must bid ye farewell for now.

To be continued... 


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone and welcome to part 2 of The Necromancer and the Nymph.

Some notes:

1) Count Lamian really is a heartless jerk; he doesn't even care about Igorth at all.

2) The love theory was inspired from Transylvanian Homesick Blues. Nanny fell in love with Dr. Tyme quite quickly, huh?

3) Igorth soon learnt that nothing is more evil than an pure-hearted mortal being tranformed into a vampire against his own will...

Characters (c) Cosgrove Hall Story, Count Lamian (c) to me, Steffie

Enjoy ^_^

The Necromancer and the Nymph prt 2

After what felt like eternity, Igorth and Emma had finally arrived back at Castle Lamian. The moon was already half-way up in the sky.  
"Wow, you have such a nice place." the nymph smiled as she and Igorth both entered the main hall of the castle.  
"Well, actually..." the vulture was about to correct her, until Count Lamian teleported himself in front of him.

"Igorth! There you are! What had kept you?" the mallard demanded. His eyes widened the moment he noticed the beautiful hen that was with his young butler.  
"M'Lord, this is Emma"  
"Ah, I see. Is she the reason why you're so late?" the count asked with a bemused expression on his face.  
"M'Lord, here is our new maid, as I had promised"  
"But Igorth, you had promised me a maiden"  
"But M'Lord, haven't you asked me to find a maid to help me with the house chores"  
"Hey, I thought--" Emma began, but was rudely cut off by Igorth.

"Hm, guess we had both misunderstood one another. Mistakes sometimes happen, right?" Count Lamian gave Igorth a dirty look. The young vulture swallowed the lump that was lodged in his throat. He knew the count hardly tolerated failures, no matter what. He had also realized that this is first and only time his master had let him off the hook. He wondered what would happen if he had discovered his ulterior motive...

"Igorth, I am eating out tonight. I might come back very late, so don't bother looking for me." Count Lamian stated calmly, yet Igorth knew that he was bottling up his anger. The mallard had then teleported himself out. Igorth sighed in relief, not realizing that he had really angered his female companion.  
"Why, you little--" Emma clucked angrily as she lifted the vulture with just her left hand. Igorth was amazed how strong she was.  
"Emma, I can explain! Please just listen to reason"  
"Reason with my fist, you little--"

"Emma, please allow me to explain our situation! I have lied about you because I wanted to protect you." Igorth inwardly cringed at the words he had used, "If my Master finds out that you are a nymph that grants immortality, he will harm you if you refuse to grant him his wish for eternal life"  
"..." Emma's face softened as the butler's words sunk in. Those words meant so much to her. No mortal had ever been selfless before when it comes to her. This selfless act had stolen her heart. She had fallen in love with him. She inwardly cursed the fact that immortality-granting nymphs can actually fall in love at the slightest hint of romance from anyone; which was bad if the mortal they fell in love with didn't feel the same way...

While the hen had mused about her feelings, she had dropped the object of her affections. Igorth hurriedly rushed out of the main hall; and came back a few minutes later with something in his hand.  
"These are the clothes you should wear." Igorth's voice suddenly broke Emma's train of thought. He held a chambermaid's outfit for her. Emma clumsily grabbed hold of the dress.  
"T'ank you, Mr. Igorth." Emma blushed. "You may change in the guest room. Just go down the passage and it's the third room on the left." Igorth stated as he pointed at the large door in front of them. The hen nodded and then made her way to the guest room.

Weeks went by, and Emma tried her best to fit her role as the maid. Count Lamian wasn't impressed with her since she seemed to have a knack for breaking anything that was priceless. He was also annoyed about her humming and singing, which sounded like a hysterical banshee. He was also annoyed that his butler had tolerated her antics. He had confronted him about this, but Igorth simply shrugged and stated that everyone had a quirk or two. Count Lamian found this strange. He even found it stranger that his butler didn't snap when that idiot hen asked Igorth why he consumed unleavened black bread and unfermented grape juice every single day. He was kind of amused when she asked why the outfit he wore a few days ago looked exactly like the poor peasant that was their guest. That stupid hen didn't know what she had gotten herself in for.

*Three months later, midnight*

Igorth was busy paging through his book of spells when Emma suddenly barged in.  
"Mr. Igorth"  
"Yes, Emma"  
"May I ask you a question"  
"Hm." Igorth purposely didn't answer yes or no, just in case it could be a trick.  
"I know it's quite sudden to ask you, but"  
"Yes, Emma"  
"Do you love me"  
"Well..." Igorth began, but was cut off by the nymph hugging him tightly.

"That's great, because I love you too. Now I can grant you immortality; and we'll be together forever." Emma giggled happily. The vulture's eyes lit up at the mention of immortality.  
"That's great. When can we begin"  
"Right here, right now." Emma giggled as she lifted her right arm high up. Igorth glowed a brilliant white for several minutes; and then stopped glowing altogether.

"T'ere, you're immortal now." Emma smiled, 'Now I can prove to my sisters that a mortal can love me for selfless reasons'  
"..." Igorth was rightfully skeptical. He didn't feel any different. He was about to query about this situation when Emma suddenly broke her right shoulder with her own left hand in such a way that she will never be able to use her right arm ever again, even though she would still be able to use that hand. The injured arm then hung limply against her side.  
"Emma?! What in Hades' name have you done"  
"It's the part of the ritual, Mr. Igor. I must break my arm in such a way that I would never be able to grant immortality for anyone else, since that's the only arm that can do so"  
"But"  
"That's not all; I will also lose my smarts and won't be able to remember as well."

"But, why haven't you tell me this in the first place?!" Igorth demanded, angry that she kept secrets from him. Who knows what other secrets she kept from Igorth? The young butler suddenly felt a tingling senation pulse through his entire body. The vulture screamed in pain as his body suddenly aged dramatically. The butler gasped as he looked down at his hands. They looked more like those that would've belonged to someone that was in his late nineties.

Igorth felt his blood boil as he glared at the confused hen.  
"Emma!" the vulture screamed in anger. He was shocked when he realized he sounded so much older and sinister, "I demand an exclamation for this damnation"  
"That wasn't supposed to happen! Both of us should've had eternal youth, since we love each other. You had lied about your feelings for me"  
"I tried to tell you that I like you as a friend"  
"Why didn't you say that in the first place, you buzzard"  
"I tried, but you had interrupted me!" Igorth screamed on top of his lungs.  
"Oh dear...now we both became the undead! We are doomed for all of eternity like this! I also can't use my magic arm ever again!" Emma smothered her face in her hand with much shame.  
"Well, at least I finally look like a butler that serves the greatest of evil..."

As Emma tried her best to make Igorth realize their dilemma, Count Lamian teleported himself in front of them. His eyes glowed red the moment he noticed Igorth's new appearance. He also noticed that the hen was clucking hysterically as she clutched her head in pain. "Igorth, I demand an explanation for this treachery!" the mallard snarled.  
"What does M'Lord mean? I haven't betrayed you at all"  
"Then explain to me why you suddenly look as if you could've been your great-great grandfather's older brother"  
"I have asked Emma to grant me immortality. But, it was so that I would be able to serve you for all of eternity!"

Count Lamian growled angrily as he shot his servants a death-glare.  
"Out! Get out my castle now! I refuse to be under the same roof as you both"  
"But M'Lord, please be reasonable"  
"Just get out, before I do something that you wish I regret!" the mallard screamed on top of his lungs.

After he and Emma packed all their belongings and left, Igorth decided that they should both look for someone else to serve. They both travelled all the way to Transylvania. They searched high and low for a new Master, but it was hopeless.  
"Mr. Igorth, why did Count Lamian fire us?" Emma asked the elderly vulture. Igorth sighed in defeat when he realized that Emma's intellect and memory are now totally destroyed. Such a pity, since he had enjoyed having intelligent conversations with her.  
"We were fired because I wasn't evil enough." Igorth lied, expecting the hen to retaliate badly.  
"Oh, t'at's nice." the hen replied instead. "No Emma, it's...ugh, what's the use?" Igorth grumbled under his breath.

After seeking work from everyone in the village and were rejected, Igorth and Nanny decided that maybe they should seek employment elsewhere. They then decided to try the castle that was on top the hill. After they've knocked on the door, a young, mild-mannered looking mallard opened it for them.  
"Oh! You two must be the new butler and nanny my uncle had send to come work for me!" the young fowl smiled. Igorth and Emma tried their best to hide their confusion, and simply greeted the gentleman.

"Welcome to my castle. I am the humble Count Duckula! Come in, you two!" The mallard smiled as he gestured for them to enter, not realizing that his kind actions would mean that he would one day become the prince of darknes because of his butler...

Goodnight out there...whatever you are!

The End 


End file.
